Lenovo Phab 2: A 6.4-inch phablet at a low price

Enlarge Image

The Lenovo Phab 2 has a 13-megapixel rear camera and adds an augmented reality mode.Lenovo

The Lenovo Phab 2 is the least expensive phone of this second generation of Lenovo phablets, and while it doesn't incorporate Google's Project Tango technology (the Phab 2 Pro does) or the dual rear camera found in the Phab 2 Plus, it still offers some augmented reality tricks.

The 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera have an Augmented Reality (AR) mode that allows you to add different effects and virtual objects to your photos and videos. For example, the AR mode allows you to change backgrounds or add cartoons and drawings to your photos or videos.

Similar to other phones of the Phab 2 series, this phone has a huge 6.4-inch screen, packs AndroidMarshmallow, a relatively similar design and a 4,050mAh battery that promises a full day of use on one charge.

However, unlike Lenovo's Project Tango cellphone (Phab 2 Pro) that integrates a QHD resolution screen and the Phab 2 Plus that comes with a full HD, the Lenovo Phab 2 has an HD resolution screen, which makes the experience a bit less pleasant given its big size (6.4-inches).

The Phab 2 integrates the same 32GB of storage and has a microSD card slot for up to 128GB.

More from Lenovo

• ​World's first Google Tango phone
• ​Motorola's new Moto Z ditches the headphone jack
• Lenovo's concept flexible phone flips between handset and smartwatch

Enlarge Image

Lenovo

Unlike the the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and Phab 2 Plus, the Lenovo Phab 2 does not include a fingerprint sensor, but it does pack sound technology from Dolby Atmos, promising a pleasant surround sound experience.

As to other specs, the Lenovo Phab 2 uses a MediaTek MTK-8735 chip, which is less powerful than other members of its family.

Price and availability

The Lenovo Phab 2 will be available worldwide in September at US$199.

Enlarge Image

Lenovo

First impression

The Lenovo Phab 2 is different from its competitors -- be that a good or bad thing. It's huge, 6.4-inch screen makes it difficult to hold with one hand or easily fit in your pockets. Its low resolution screen makes photos and videos look good, but not vibrant as in other phablets.

Yet, at a low price of $199 and some augmented reality tricks, it's a phone that could be fun to use for some photo and video enthusiasts.

Top 5 Android security apps: Do they protect you?

360 Security (Free)

A major player in China, developer Qihu burst onto the scene and claimed the top spot in AV-Test’s September 2013 report with a virtually flawless detection rate of 99.9 percent, the highest of any of the security apps tested. In the latest November 2015 report, it achieved a detection rate of 99.9 percent. The focus with 360 Mobile Security is firmly on detecting and nullifying threats to your system. It has a very streamlined, elegant design. It’s extremely lightweight, and it’s completely free. A standard real-time scan will safeguard your device from malware, spyware, and the threat of infection. It’s also capable of detecting and fixing system vulnerabilities and cleaning up idle background apps to help your phone run more efficiently. There’s a privacy advisor and a tool to clear your usage history.

The latest version of 360 Security boasts a lot of extras, including a junk file cleaner, memory booster to free RAM, a power saving option, app management, privacy with encryption, and anti-theft tools for locating or remotely wiping your phone. For a good blend of usability and strong protection, you should think about 360 Security. It offers smooth performance and a host of extra features, so it is bound to appeal to many users.

Avast! Mobile Security

As a genuinely free app for the Android platform, Avast! Mobile Security is offering an impressive range of tools. It has antivirus protection, it scans your apps to provide details on what they are doing, and it has a Web shield that scans URLs for malware.

There are various additional tools in the package and the best of the bunch is the anti-theft component. The app is actually based on an old app called Theft Aware which Avast acquired. The anti-theft feature is hidden and allows you to remote control your smartphone using SMS. So if you lose your phone, you can remotely lock it, locate it, or wipe it. You can make it play a siren sound, lock down the SIM card, and prevent USB debugging as well. It’s a comprehensive solution for theft protection.

If you have a rooted device then there’s also a firewall that allows you to control network traffic. You can block access to Wi-Fi or the network for specific apps which is handy for security and potentially saving on battery juice as well.

According to the latest AV-Test report of 25 popular Android security apps, Avast is a solid option with an overall detection rate of 98.1 percent. Although it is not top of the charts in terms of malware detection, the extra functionality (including the anti-theft tools and a firewall for rooted devices) still make it worth considering. It has a light footprint with no discernible drain on battery life and no impact on general performance. It also returned no false positives.

The fact this app is completely free, has a wide range of features, and offers protection for rooted devices, makes it a strong contender. If you’re looking for a security solution for your Android smartphone, and your primary concern is malware and safe browsing, then this could be the right app for you.

Avast Marketing Director, Milos Korenko, has assured us that “There might be a paid version in the future but that won’t have an impact on the free version. It will continue to be available and loaded with features.”

ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus

Eset deserves its place in our top five with a 100 percent detection rate in the latest AV-Test report and an easy-to-use interface. The basic app is completely free and it provides real-time scans of apps to detect malware and potentially dodgy apps trying to send texts or make premium rate calls.

The free version also includes a suite of anti-theft tools. You can remotely locate and lock your smartphone or tablet, and you can prevent anyone from uninstalling apps by using password protection.

If you want remote wipe or SIM guard capabilities then you have to spring for the premium version at $20 per year, but it also delivers anti-phishing protection, an app audit feature, device monitoring for unwarranted use of data, and advanced call blocking.

Avira Antivirus Security

With a 99.9 percent detection rate and no false positives, you can trust the free version of Avira to keep your Android smartphone or tablet safe. It has a light footprint in terms of performance and a sleek, minimalist design that fits in well with the Android platform.

Avira allows you to scan apps for potential trouble and it scans new apps or updates automatically. There’s also the usual batch of anti-theft tools, to help you find your device remotely, lock it, wipe it, or trigger an alarm.

There’s also an identity safeguard tool that can tell you whether your email account, or the email addresses of your friends, have been leaked or compromised. A decent range of blacklisting options rounds off this app, so you can block problem callers or nuisance spam.

There is a premium version that adds anti-phishing, more regular updates, and better support, but the free version covers enough bases for most people.

AVL

Some of you are probably just looking for malware protection that’s as barebones as possible. If you don’t want anti-theft tools, or identity protection, or any of the other possibly superfluous features that come in many security apps then AVL will suit you.

This app scored a 99.8 percent detection rate with one false positive and AV-Test found performance was good with no undue impact on speed or battery life. AVL can scan a variety of file formats beyond APKs and it’s designed to be fast and efficient. It does also offer call blocking capabilities.

WHAT IS THE HUAWEI P8?

Released in April 2015, the Huawei P8 is the Chinese firm’s first real shot at making a mark in the flagship market, having dipped its toes with the Ascend range. Although Huawei lacks the big-hitting brand name that comes with a Samsung or an Apple handset, it hopes to tempt users away with the P8’s sleek design, iPhone-like aluminium body, along with some solid specs. For the most part it succeeds, too.

The Huawei P8’s octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and high-quality camera proves it’s serious about going toe-to-toe with the big boys. The fact that it’s considerably cheaper than the likes of the iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S6, or even the HTC One M9, makes it an even better alternative to one of the big-brand rivals, if you’re looking for something a little different.

Watch our Huawei P8 hands-on video below

0:00

/

3:04

 

HUAWEI P8 – DESIGN

Metal body; 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm; 144g

The Huawei P8 looks and feels a lot more expensive than its price tag would suggest. It’s beautifully crafted, taking obvious inspiration from the iPhone 6 and Sony Xperia Z3, but with a more angular look and feel.

The Huawei P8 adds some refined touches that distinguish it from the competition, including a smooth glass rectangular section on the back of the phone where the camera sits. The front face of the phone is clean, with no branding, no home button and no unsightly plastic-looking speaker grilles. Take note, Samsung.

Related: Huawei P8 vs P8 Max: What's the difference?

The chiselled curved edges of the P8 are similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6, while the softly textured metal back of the phone echoes that of the iPhone 5. Huawei hasn’t just taken design cues from its rivals though, it’s also followed the trend different colours with ridiculous names. As a result, the 16GB version P8 is available in Mystic Champagne/Titanium Grey, and a 64GB P8 is available in Prestige Gold and the less ludicrous Carbon Black. Colours may vary by territory, though.

The power button and volume keys on the right hand side of the P8 are the only physical keys on the P8, and they’re our only real gripe with this phone’s design. The power button is miniscule and is so close to the volume keys that it’s easy to to hit the wrong button.

Related: Huawei P9 specs

A double tap of the bottom volume key opens the camera and takes a picture when the phone screen is off. It’s a good feature, but it would be easier if the power button was larger, further away or on the opposite side of the phone.

Yet this small weakness doesn’t detract from what’s otherwise a solid and well-built phone. It’s heavier than the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6, but it’s lighter than the HTC One M9 and looks as good as any of them despite costing nearly half as much.

Related: Best Cheap Smartphones

HUAWEI P8 – SCREEN

5.2-inch; 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD); 424ppi; IPS LCD; Gorilla Glass 3

The 5.2-inch screen on the Huawei P8 is a touch larger than the one on the Galaxy S6, but the thin bezel means it doesn’t take up too much more space. And, while it isn’t Quad HD like the S6, it’s one of the finest Full HD screens we’ve seen in a phone. It’s big, it’s bright and it’s useable in all lighting conditions.

Huawei’s Emotion UI includes some options for adjusting the P8 screen’s colour temperature and we used it to counter the phone’s apparent natural bias towards warmer tones. The display options in settings offer a sliding scale between warm and cold, and we found that nudging the slider one position to the right gave us a more natural colour balance.

Related: Best Smartphones and Mobile Phones

That isn’t to say that this phone is particularly bad when it comes to colour reproduction, though. Overall, it does a good job of rendering colours vibrantly, but if you pay attention to Red and Magenta tones, it’s clear there is some oversaturation taking place.

Side-by-side with some of the other flagship phones, the P8 manages to hold its own. Next to the Galaxy S6, the P8 appears to deliver slightly punchier colours, but it can’t match it for detail, deep blacks or clean white tones. Held up next to the HTC One M9, the P8 edges its more expensive rival.

Related: Best Headphones

The P8’s screen looks good at acute viewing angles and adapts to changing light conditions well, too. This is one particular area where the P8 really impresses, though it’s by no means the only area – it’s a great screen all round.

Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/huawei-p8-review#JUKjCcQurYuAG68h.99

The 10 best Smartphones in the world right now

£570

Samsung Galaxy S7

How do you trump the best phone of 2015? You make it again, of course

£640

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung's latest curved wonder is super-stylish, super-powered and simply all-round super

£570

HTC 10

HTC’s flagship comeback excels at the smartphone fundamentals

from 

£539

Apple iPhone 6s

"Everything's changed" is pushing it, but within the 6s' familiar body lies a surprising amount of innovation

£530

LG G5

LG's made a new kind of upgradeable smartphone, and we love it

from 

£450

Google Nexus 6P

The Nexus 6P is a good-value phone that offers good or great results in just about every area, and it runs on stock Android Marshmallow

from 

£249

OnePlus 2

A truly affordable flagship killer. If you're short on cash, this is the smartphone to get

£75

Vodafone Smart Prime 7

Cheap? Yes. Cheerful? Undoubtedly so!

£359

Apple iPhone SE

This compact iPhonepacks a mighty punch

from 

£199

OnePlus X

A super-value phone that sets a new standard among sub-£200 mobiles

sony xperia z5 compact review

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact released in the US in February, albeit with minor changes. All of these are reflected in our new review.

The Xperia Z5 Compact stands alone: Sony is the only Android manufacturer making a small high-end phone right now. That means that it could be the last stand for compacts. If the Z5 doesn't deliver, it's likely to be the last time we see top specs in a scaled-down form factor, for a while at least.

• Buy Sony Xperia Z5 Compact at Amazon for $443.99

But it does deliver. Like the Xperia Z3 Compact before it, the Xperia Z5 Compact puts an impressive array of features comfortably into the palm of your hand, and makes you wonder why no other brands are interested in this niche.

Not everyone wants a giant phone, and who could be blamed for wanting to use their whole screen without needing both hands?

The Xperia Z5 Compact sits alongside two other new phones from Sony. There's the Sony Xperia Z5, which offers a 5.2-inch 1,080p screen and 3GB of RAM that you don't get here. Then there's the Xperia Z5 Premium, which will be here in November with a 5.5-inch screen and a 4K resolution screen.

One problem for the Xperia Z5 Compact is its price. High-end specs require a high-end price, even if the reduced frame might lead purchasers to expect a bargain. However, it does come in appreciably cheaper than the Xperia Z5, and a good deal below our original expectations.

The Xperia Z5 Compact costs £429 in the UK (about AU$915) – that's over £100 less than the slightly breathtaking price of £549 that Sony originally put on its site. The new price matches the launch price of the Xperia Z3 Compact last year, and you do get a lot for your money here.

It's a completely different story in the US, where the Z5 Compact unlocked retails for the full price of $500 - ouch! It's not available via popular US carrier subsidies, which will blunt its success, but Amazon does have it on sale for $435.

Design

The Xperia Z5 Compact follows closely the excellent design established by the Xperia Z5. It isn't drastically smaller than the Z5 – the Compact is 127 x 65 x 8.9mm, compared to 146 x 72 x 7.3mm. But it's enough to make a difference.

The Xperia Z5 Compact has lost a lot of the bezel space that felt so redundant on the Z5, and feels a lot more concise than its bigger sibling.

You might have noticed that the Z5 Compact is actually bigger than the Z5 in one dimension: it's a little thicker. That's to fit in all those high-end specs and a bigger battery than the larger phone. I barely noticed the difference in thickness until I put them next to each other, and even then it wasn't all that shocking.

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact weighs in at 138g, 16g lighter than the Z5. Build wise, it's a similar size and weight to the iPhone 6S.

The back panel is much nicer on this new version of the Compact model. Instead of the clear glass back from previous handsets, it's now a frosted glass that feels good against the palm and looks stylish.

Colour options are white, black, yellow or coral – I was able to use all versions but the white for this review. The black version feels the most stylish, while the yellow and coral are particularly bright. They wouldn't be my choice of phone, but for those who liked the colour-pop aesthetic of the iPhone 5C, they're perfect.

The corners have been rounded off even further on the Xperia Z5 Compact than on the Z3 Compact, making it a much more comfortable fit in the hand.

The anti-break bumpers of the Xperia Z5 aren't included here, so the Compact is more likely to shatter if it falls on one of the four corners. It's unclear why Sony made this decision – they would have been easy to implement, and would make a big difference to the durability of the phone.

At the top of the left hand edge of the phone, there's the indented Xperia logo, which actually looks good this time around. On the bottom of that edge is the only flap on the handset, covering the microSD and nanoSIM slot.

It's easier to open this up than it has been on previous Xperia phones, and as you'll only need to on the rare occasions that you're swapping a SIM or microSD.

In the centre of the bottom edge sits the micro USB port for charging and data transfer. It's a shame that Sony hasn't moved on to USB-C to minimise fumbling when plugging in, but at least the inconvenience of the flap has been removed.

And Sony isn't behind the pack on USB standards, even if it would have been nice for it to get ahead. In a few years, smartphones will have moved on and USB-C will become the norm, but for now most still use micro USB.

The 3.5mm headphone jack sits at the top of the phone on the left hand side, which is the best place for it as it means the phone can sit in your pocket while you use a wired headset

At the bottom of the right hand edge is the camera button, in the perfect position for taking landscape shots. Just above that is the volume rocker, which has been moved since the Xperia Z3 Compact. This relocation is less successful, and some fumbling is required to reach down to it.

It would have been to put the volume rocker just above the power button on the same side, but at least it's not as bad as it is on the Xperia Z5. On the larger phone it's really hard to reach and the handset flips out of the hand easily.

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://kvors.com/click/?s=88377&c=89569&subid=21226

The power button itself sits flush with the design. This is metal with the on/off symbol engraved on it. It looks good, but the exciting part is that this now features the fingerprint scanner – a new addition to the Xperia Z series, except in the hobbled US variant.

On the front of the phone, there are bezels above and below the display to house the front-facing speakers, microphone and front-facing camera. These are thinner on the Xperia Z5 Compact than on the Xperia Z5 and that means a better screen-to-body ratio.

PRICES - SONY XPERIA Z5 COMPACT: